Hello! I have been neglecting this blog for too long. Thanks to Wendy’s post on Tuesday, I was motivated to start writing again. Lately I have not had anything interesting to write. I haven’t been running much like I usually do. Well, that is about to change. My knee feels much better! I ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K on Sunday and managed to finish it under an hour. My goal was to enjoy the race and finish it (my longest run had been only 3 miles) but secretly I was hoping to finish it in less than an hour and I did it!

I’ve been running again using the Hansons Marathon Method (Beginner’s Plan). I stayed up late one day going over the book again and decided to start off with the 5:00 marathon finish time. I updated my spreadsheet with the dates, runs, and paces. I also did one for 4:45, 4:30, 4:15, 4:00, 3:50, 3:45, and 3:40 (I had coffee late in the evening and could not sleep and all I had to change were the various speeds/paces).

For now (until November) I need a 3:45 to BQ. Next year I need a 3:55 finish time. Do I know when I will BQ? No. But I would like for it to happen in a few years. I also added my runs and paces to the calendar feature in Garmin Connect. For now I’ve been doing easy runs with paces between 12:57-13:57 and I am liking it. My first speed workout isn’t till May 2nd (12×400) so I have plenty of time to build my endurance and then maybe I’ll leave it at 5:00 or change it to 4:45. We’ll see.

I have two new and beautiful pairs of running shoes from Brooks – the Launch 4 and some new Oiselle capris. I like the capris but love it when I can wear shorts (which I did today).

I also purchased a cute Oiselle tshirt for inspiration.

During last year’s marathon training, I did not take care of myself like I was supposed to. I hardly stretched and did not foam rolled on a regular basis. I learned my lesson. I will not make that mistake again. Eating wise I am doing much better. I rarely ate fruits and vegetables. Now I eat fruit every single day and make a shake with spinach. I also have been enjoying eating tofu, quinoa, and recently made cauliflower fried rice. Slowly making progress.

Work is going well. Next week is Spring Break and I am excited about it. After that I have about 7 weeks to go till summer break. In July I will be going to Alaska on The Great Alaskan Running Cruise. Just the other day I booked a glacier tour in Juneau and a kayak adventure. Should be fun!!

Now let’s talk about the giveaway. The winner will receive a NUUN container (I have various flavors), a Momentum Wrap, a pair of Lock Laces, and Headsweats Visor.

To enter, click on the image below where you will be directed to Gleam and enter several different ways such as leaving a blog post comment, following me on Instagram, commenting on any of my Instagram posts, or tweeting about the giveaway.

This giveaway will run for seven days (until April 16th at 11:59 pm). The winner will be selected on the eighth day. The giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be contacted via the email address associated with their Gleam account and will have 24 hours to claim their prize. All entries are verified, so please be sure to complete them or a new, random winner will be selected.

It’s awesome that you have been able to ease back into running and that you have a game plan for your marathon training. I have no doubt that you will get that BQ time, especially if you continue with the stretching and foam rolling!

I’ve had plenty to write about I just can’t seem to find the time to get it all out there and follow up. My racing for the first half of this year is coming to an end and I’m looking forward to some relaxed runs.